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The Labour Party and Ireland
The Executive Committee calls the attention of every constituent Society of the Labour Party and of every local Labour Party to the very grave situation that has arisen in Ireland, menacing to life and property, destructive of order and discrediting the British Government throughout the civilised world. The Parliamentary Labour Party, whilst losing no opportunity of exposing the scandalous breakdown of the British administration in Ireland, and of protesting against the iniquities involved in the unregulated military tyranny to which that country is now being subjected, finds itself powerless, in face of a mechanical Government majority, to effect any improvement. It is now for the organised Labour Party throughout Great Britain, whilst unequivocally condemning acts of brutality and violence, and murders by whomsoever committed, publicly to dissociate itself from responsibility for the deplorable maladministration exercised in the name, but, as it is confidently believed, against the wishes of the British people.
It will be unnecessary to do more than refer to repeated declarations of the Labour Party in favour of Self-determination for Ireland — a policy in which the Party has never wavered. The British Cabinet by its present climax of failure, has now plainly forfeited whatever rights it may have possessed to govern Ireland. The whole course of events of the past two years has demonstrated the futility of seeking to set limits to the Irish in their framing, for themselves, the Constitution to which they aspire.
There is nothing for it now but—
1. To withdraw all the armed forces;
2. To place the responsibility for maintaining order in each locality in Ireland (as in Great Britain outside the Metropolitan area) on the Local Authorities themselves; and
3. To provide for the immediate election by proportional representation, of an entirely open Constituent Assembly, charged to work out, at the earliest possible moment, without limitations or fetters, whatever Constitution for Ireland the Irish people desire.
The time has passed when any difficulty can be made about names and titles and forms and ceremonies, insistence on which only creates suspicion and results in misunderstanding. So far as Ireland itself and Irish affairs are concerned, the Labour Party is unequivocally prepared to allow Ireland to assume whatever form of Self-determination the great mass of the Irish people desire, with whatever Constitution, under whatever designation, and with whatever arrangements for local autonomy, and thereby allow Ireland to face its own difficulties in its own way — subject only to two conditions (which were accepted by the Irish Trades Union Congress at its meeting on November 16th) that it afforded protection to minorities, and that the Constitution should prevent Ireland from becoming a military or naval menace to Great Britain.
But Self-determination for Ireland involves also Self-determination for Great Britain. Whatever may be the form or the substance of the future relations between Great Britain and Ireland there are, and must necessarily be many matters (whether postal, fiscal, commercial, judicial, or what not), which on any revision of relations must be arranged by agreement. Moreover, Great Britain has its own obligations, not only to maintain the interests of its own people, but also to secure a proper protection both for Britons in Ireland and for any minority whether religious, political, or geographical. There are,
[P.T.O.

The Labour Party and Ireland
The Executive Committee calls the attention of every constituent Society of the Labour Party and of every local Labour Party to the very grave situation that has arisen in Ireland, menacing to life and property, destructive of order and discrediting the British Government throughout the civilised world. The Parliamentary Labour Party, whilst losing no opportunity of exposing the scandalous breakdown of the British administration in Ireland, and of protesting against the iniquities involved in the unregulated military tyranny to which that country is now being subjected, finds itself powerless, in face of a mechanical Government majority, to effect any improvement. It is now for the organised Labour Party throughout Great Britain, whilst unequivocally condemning acts of brutality and violence, and murders by whomsoever committed, publicly to dissociate itself from responsibility for the deplorable maladministration exercised in the name, but, as it is confidently believed, against the wishes of the British people.
It will be unnecessary to do more than refer to repeated declarations of the Labour Party in favour of Self-determination for Ireland — a policy in which the Party has never wavered. The British Cabinet by its present climax of failure, has now plainly forfeited whatever rights it may have possessed to govern Ireland. The whole course of events of the past two years has demonstrated the futility of seeking to set limits to the Irish in their framing, for themselves, the Constitution to which they aspire.
There is nothing for it now but—
1. To withdraw all the armed forces;
2. To place the responsibility for maintaining order in each locality in Ireland (as in Great Britain outside the Metropolitan area) on the Local Authorities themselves; and
3. To provide for the immediate election by proportional representation, of an entirely open Constituent Assembly, charged to work out, at the earliest possible moment, without limitations or fetters, whatever Constitution for Ireland the Irish people desire.
The time has passed when any difficulty can be made about names and titles and forms and ceremonies, insistence on which only creates suspicion and results in misunderstanding. So far as Ireland itself and Irish affairs are concerned, the Labour Party is unequivocally prepared to allow Ireland to assume whatever form of Self-determination the great mass of the Irish people desire, with whatever Constitution, under whatever designation, and with whatever arrangements for local autonomy, and thereby allow Ireland to face its own difficulties in its own way — subject only to two conditions (which were accepted by the Irish Trades Union Congress at its meeting on November 16th) that it afforded protection to minorities, and that the Constitution should prevent Ireland from becoming a military or naval menace to Great Britain.
But Self-determination for Ireland involves also Self-determination for Great Britain. Whatever may be the form or the substance of the future relations between Great Britain and Ireland there are, and must necessarily be many matters (whether postal, fiscal, commercial, judicial, or what not), which on any revision of relations must be arranged by agreement. Moreover, Great Britain has its own obligations, not only to maintain the interests of its own people, but also to secure a proper protection both for Britons in Ireland and for any minority whether religious, political, or geographical. There are,
[P.T.O.